Goof Proof Showers (Sponsored)

For a tiling rookie, the hardest, and arguably the most intimidating, part of a shower tile installation is the prep work. Creating the proper slope can be tricky. Bottom line: You want the water to go down the drain—all of it! That means the pitch needs to be steep enough so water doesn’t pool up. Pooling water leaves stains and could shorten the life of grout, and pooling water stinks, literally. But the slope must be gentle enough so those sudsy scrubbers don’t slip and fall.

Mark E Industries Inc. has been in the tile business for 40 years. They manufacturer the Goof Proof Showers line of products designed to simplify shower installation. We here at The Family Handyman decided to give them a try. The Goof Proof Showers system really is perfect for the DIYer, especially Pre-Pitch and Quick-Pitch. These two products are simple screeding guides that take all the guesswork out of achieving that perfect slope.

In addition to the screeding products, we also tried out Kirb-Perfect, Mark E’s shower curb system, along with its Corner Shelf and Shower Seat products. Read on to find out how it went. This is not a full-blown how-to story; it’s intended to demonstrate the basic steps to give the big picture of how it all works. For a more complete set of installation instructions, check out these video.

Pre-Pitch

The tapered Pre-Pitch sticks act as screed guides for the mud bed. It’s important to slope the subfloor before the liner is installed. That way, if/when water gets past the tile, grout and mud underneath, the liner will divert it back toward the drain. When this water has no place to go, it can cause musty smells and potentially harmful mold growth.

What we liked:

• Doesn’t require a lot of additional tools
• Can be customized to fit almost any shower shape
• Extensions can be added for larger showers
• Takes the guesswork out of achieving a consistent slope
• Costs less than other systems
• Made in the U.S.A.

Pre-Pitch / Lay down felt paper and a mesh

This is only necessary when working on wood floors. Pre-Pitch sticks can also be used on concrete floors.

Pre-Pitch / Layout

Lay out the sticks so no two are more than a couple feet apart.

Pre-Pitch / Reverse mark each stick

Set each stick in place backward and mark the thicker end for cutting. Optional extensions are available for longer shower floors.

Pre-Pitch / Cut to length

You can cut the plastic sticks with a grinder, multi-tool, hacksaw or a PVC cutter like we show here.

Pre-Pitch / Fasten

We used screws, but nails will work as well.

Pre-Pitch / Pack with mud

Use the tapered sticks as your screed guide.

Kirb-Perfect

Kirb-Perfect is a plastic form that creates the shape of the curb. Once it’s filled with mud, it provides a solid backer for the tile. It has a built-in pitch to divert water back toward the drain and can be used with or without wood underneath. Kirb-Perfect is installed after the liner is in place.

What we liked:

• No extra tools required
• Customizable in height and length
• Pre-Pitch slope on top
• Easy to fill with mud
• No temporary forms to mess with
• Made in the U.S.A.

Kirb-Perfect / Assemble first

Arrows on the top indicate which way the water will flow.

Kirb-Perfect / Cut to size

You can use a hacksaw, grinder, snips, PVC cutter or a multi-tool. Cut the height first and then the length. Extra sections (sold separately) can be purchased for longer curbs.

Kirb-Perfect / Nail in place

Only nail the outside. The inside will seem a little “floppy” but will become rock solid after the mud sets.

Kirb-Perfect / Fill the form with mud

Actually this step will be completed after the Quick-Pitch product is installed…read on.

Quick-Pitch

The Quick-Pitch Float Stick System is a similar to Pre-Pitch except the sticks are installed over the liner and are tied into a center ring that creates a perfect alignment with the drain.

What we liked:

• Doesn’t require a lot of additional tools
• Can be customized to almost any shower shape
• Extensions can be added for larger showers
• Creates a perfect alignment with the top surface of the drain
• Costs less than other systems
• Made in the U.S.A.

Quick-Pitch / Set the riser in place

Quick-Pitch / Install float sticks

Reverse measure and cut the float sticks the same way as you did for the Pre-Pitch sticks. Snap them into the center ring. Space them no more than a couple feet apart.

Quick-Pitch / Install the Weep Protector

Before you screw down the drain riser, slide the Weep Protector (sold separately) into place. The Weep Protector allows any water that escapes past and under the tile and mud bed to find its way back to the drain.

Quick-Pitch / Pack with mud

Use the tapered sticks as your screed guide. Our expert prefers to take the extra precaution of waterproofing both the walls and the floor.

Save Money

Sure, there are other shower systems out there, but the Mark E Goof Proof Shower system costs much, much less. For this project, we used Pre-Pitch, (2) Kirb-Perfects, Quick-Pitch and a Weep Protector.  With the liner, drain and the cost of a kit to do a 3×5 shower compartment The Goof Proof Shower system costs about $200.00. You could easily spend more than $850.00 for other systems?

Corner Shelf

The Goof Proof Tile Ready Corner Shelf is a retro shelf-mounting system that gets mounted after the tiles are installed, so perfect alignment is guaranteed. It comes with a super-simple template and all the adhesives needed. It’s super easy to install. All you have to do is stick the template to the wall and adhere the mounting rails to the tile through the slots in the template. And then slather the back of the shelf with silicone adhesive and stick it to the wall.

Shower Seat

The Goof Proof Shower Seat might be our favorite product that Goof Proof Showers manufactures, and here’s why:

• Holds up to 400 lbs.
• Can be trimmed from 30 in. to 24 in.
• It’s easily installed with screws (if backing is in place) or toggle bolts if the tiles are already present
• The seat is pre-sloped
• It has built-in level vials (that’s cool!)

StringA-Level

Getting that first course of tile straight is important, which is usually accomplished by screwing a board to a wall and stacking the tiles on that. That works fine if you always have a couple “straight” boards on hand. The StringA-Level kit is made up of two segmented flexible sections and four rigid straight edges. The flexible sections can be tucked into corners and then the straight edges used to run the rest of the length of the wall. The beauty is that each section has a built-in level. Where the StringA-Level really shines is on showers with different wall lengths, and nothing could be more perfect for stacking tiles on curved walls.